Elia Viviani set to make his Lotto debut 🇮🇹

Heulot got the transfer over the line despite the team's budget being finalised, and after calls with Arnaud De Lie

Elia Viviani in his new kit. Photo courtesy of Viviani’s Instagram.

Elia Viviani is set to make his Lotto debut in the coming days after team boss Stéphane Heulot informed us that the Italian is eager to reignite his road career after joining the team only late last month.

Ineos Grenadiers did not retain Viviani at the end of last season but the 36-year-old was keen on prolonging his career. He raced the winter on the track before being offered a one-year lifeline by Heulot’s second-tier team on February 20.

“He’s fit and he’s ready. He told me that he’s had a good winter so he could be okay for Grote prijs Jean-Pierre Monseré and Grand Prix Criquielion. It’s not fixed yet but that will probably be his comeback,” Heulot told us.

Grand Prix Criquielion takes place on March 8, with Jean-Pierre Monseré scheduled for the following day.

Viviani’s road win rate slowed last year, partly because he was chasing Olympic success in Paris. He picked up a silver medal alongside Simone Consonni in the Madison, and Heulot believes that the veteran still has much to give, either as a sprinter or as part of Arnaud De Lie’s support crew.

Read more: Rider Cycling Transfers 2025/2026

“It’s an open role for him on the team. He wants to win and we’re ok with that,’ he laughed, “but at the same time he has much experience and talent to share with our younger riders. We’re really happy to have him on the team for this. He’s a really nice guy and he wants to share that knowledge. It’s really great to have him on the team. I think he can still be competitive, too,” Heulot said.